Lots of people have been linking to the “Goodbye to All That” essay by Mike Lofgren, which is definitely a must-read. Lofgren, a long-time Republican congressional staffer, explains how the current Republican Party is destroying “democratic process and America’s status as the world’s leading power.”
Now James Fallows provides follow-up comments from a former Democratic staffer. The anonymous staffer seconds what Lofgren wrote, and adds some more. A bit:
I don’t think people realize how fragile democracy really is. The 2012 campaign is currently looking to be the final nail in the coffin unless people start to understand what is going on.
One thing that especially resonated with me about Mike’s piece is the importance of “low information” voters. The mainstream media absolutely fails to understand how little attention average Americans really pay to what goes on in all forms of government. During our 2008 race, our pollster taught me (hard to believe it took me 24 years to learn this) that the average voter spends only 5 minutes thinking about for whom to vote for Congress. All the millions of dollars of TV ads, all the thousands of robo-calls and door-knocks, and it all comes down to having a message that will stick in the voters’ minds during the 5 minutes before they walk into the voting booth.
The media likes to call this group “independents,” which implies that they think so long and deeply about issues that they refuse to be constrained by the philosophy of either party. There may be a couple of people out there who fit that definition, but those are not the persuadable voters campaigns are trying to capture. Every campaign is trying to develop its candidate into an easy-to-remember slogan that makes him or her more appealing than the other guy. Actually, because negative campaigning is so effective, they are more often trying to portray the opponent as more objectionable (“I guess I’ll vote for the crook because at least he won’t slash my Medicare”).
Yeah, people are self-absorbed and lazy and take democracy for granted. But it’s also the case that you cannot rely on television or radio to get useful background on candidates and find out what’s really going on in Congress. Fox News aside, I doubt most of the bobbleheads appreciate how badly they serve viewers and listeners, and how little real information manages to trickle through the noise and hype and into the ears of most citizens.
The recent debt ceiling fiasco is a good example. I still doubt that a majority of Americans know what the “debt ceiling” is and what refusing to raise it actually would have meant, and I didn’t see news media explaining it to them.
And demagogues and dictators do love a vacuum.
Is that link (Goodbye to all that) not working or is it my computer?
Finally, someone discusses the overwhelming problem of the ignorant voter – ignorant for at least two reasons, the uniforming media, and perhaps more importantly the aversion to listening to how bad things are in America.
The average American lives each day fearing what might happen tomorrow.
Sudden illness (one-third of all bankruptcies are the result of seriously ill people being dropped by their health insurance provider) job loss, home foreclosure, loss of savings…it’s a long list. Is it any wonder that the bulk of television watching is not the news but the mindless sitcoms or reality shows? Unless one is a masochist, subjecting one’s self to hours of bleak, even frightening news of the day is an activity most Americans avoid like the plague.
Hmmm, even Fallows’ link fails. A GOP conspiracy?
I don’t think the link is bad. Truthout seems to be offline at the moment.
This piece, written by a decades-long GOP staffer who’s decided to resign now (rather than later so that he can still get retirement, before the party he supported takes that away from HIM) so, I guess, he feels he can finally tell the truth – after all that time in the belly of the GOP beast, a profitable career, and nice retirement perks.
Uhm, maybe if you’d spoken out a little earlier, there, Mr. Lofgren, you could have, you know, like maybe helped change things?
For the better I mean.
Instead, you were complicit in tearing this country apart, all while making a nice living.
I really, really, can’t stand people like this. I can excuse a true believer because well, they truly believe, but I can’t excuse a person who goes a long for the ride, enabling disaster for a paycheck.
This to me, is another example of Hanah Arendt’s famous line, “The banality of evil.”
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One thing I wonder, why did “Truthout,” which I respect a lot, release this on the Labor Day weekend, when the same people who normally don’t pay any attention, are paying even less attention than usual to the news?
This might have been better off published after Obama’s speech on Thursday. But, I suppose they must have had their reasons.
As for our bobbleheads, why explain that which you can’t yourself understand, and aren’t paid to understand in the first place? ‘Just stick to the script, boys and girls, and the checkee’s keep rolling in.’
The last thing that the corporations who run our MSM want, electric and paper, is an informed electorate.
An informed electorate wouldn’t vote to screw itself.
A scared, mis/underinformed one has.
And will again, I’m afraid…
After reading the article it leaves me less assured a republican ticket of crazies will implode. Barry Goldwater and George McGovern candidacies were relative to their times, extreme, but I am losing confidence that the electoral process will favor a manifestly moderate choice. Back in the day of those two guys there was no FauzNoos and decidedly less media infiltration of slick message driven think tank propaganda; we see daily news articles of state level republican efforts at disenfranchising traditional progressive voters, and the last few elections in my memory lead me to believe that the republicans are not beyond outright manipulation of election results.
Maybe I shouldn’t admit this but, like many low information voters, I wouldn’t have to think more than five minutes to decide who to vote for in my congressional district. My representative is Patrick McHenry. If Frankenstein’s monster were running against him, I’d be inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt. How much worse could it get?
It is a bit cheering to see this article semi-viral.
One of our local shows, “Charlotte Talks” aired a discussion about Americans and the American style of work. There were some very useful studies cited that compared the differences between the EU and the US in this regard and its implications in health, life expectancy, child welfare, etc. It was a discussion that has long needed exposure. You can access it via WFAE.
I can agree that Lofgren should have come forward before this, but the article is a must read, and I am concerned that most in need of it will fail to heed the warning.
The voters to be concerned about are my grandniece and her generation. They seem to care nothing about anything except spending money they don’t have. She has a boyfriend and an 1 year old daughter. Neither she nor he work. She receives $1460 a month, yet every day I hear from her about how much she wants to buy this and that. She spends hours on the internet; but only on consumer driven websites. I have yet to find a way through her brain to show her the urgency to pay attention to politics and other valid information sites. It’s all very frustrating for me; but, I guess I will keep trying to get through to her until I drop over dead.
Maybe I shouldn’t admit this but, like many low information voters, I wouldn’t have to think more than five minutes to decide who to vote for in my congressional district.
What takes you so long? With some of the nutjob candidates it should only take you a millisecond.
Sometimes no matter how well informed you are you never know..Look at that political sociopath in Wisconsin…Scott Walker. Aside from him being a Repug there was no real indications that he would flip out like Mr. Hyde and go on a union/ labor/wage destroying crusade. He looked normal and appeared somewhat stable…but once he got the reigns of power, or an acute case of teabaggeritis there was no stopping him…Maybe Condi Rice’s famous quote might apply..” Who could have known?”
It’s hard to get good info — or separate the good from the bad — in US newspapers too. You really have to read foreign newspapers to get decent US news, and hopefully some bloggers to help you winnow out the trash.
The one thing that doesn’t sit right with me about Mike Lofgen’s little essay is the idea that he saw the handwriting on the wall and decided to bail before his pension was whittled down by his GOP handlers..It seems to me that his being a hack in pack that his pension goodies would be exempt from the Teabbager onslaught..Isn’t it always the way that Congressional tribal members protect their own? Maybe a postal worker might have to fear a loss in benefits…but a Congressional staffer? Don’t bite the hand that feeds you?
I can give Mike Lofgren a break, because he apparently joined the GOP machine three or more decades ago, when things were a bit more collegial. He probably grew up Republican and didn’t know any better. A lot of life-long Republicans for example, didn’t wake up until McCain chose Sarah Palin – pretty late in the game.
I guess I’m in awe a bit of what he wrote – and I forwarded it to many on my email list – so I can be a bit forgiving. And I admire his honesty in his admitting about bailing out when he did, to protect his retirement – he didn’t have to bring that up, but he did, to lend credence to his argument.
All this and more can happen when “the most trusted name in news” is FOX.
I really love that morning show, FOX ‘N Friends. It features a nice looking blonde with two big boobs, one on each side of her. And both boobs talk, but they really don’t say much that makes sense. Kinda like that Blue Bell ice cream commercial that says it’s “home made”.’Must be one hell of a big house, maybe filled with elves or something magical.
Behold the power of Madison Avenue!
Yes, swami, it should take only a millisecond, sometimes I have trouble, even with “no brainers”. Patrick McHenry is a good example of a ‘no brainer” in a couple of ways.
As anthrosciguy wrote, I really value the foreign press. Misinformation abounds here and most of the “news” is just spectable. The noise to information ratio is very high.
It may be paranoid, but look at some of the “hidden persuaders” that bombard us. Many of them are not even so well hidden these days.
Ever notice that none of the ‘Baggers or Rethugs bring up the fact that the Iraq war was brought to us courtesy of twice-cooked intelligence that had already been discredited? Yet we are all tizzified (or supposed to be) at how we have changed as a nation because of 9/11 when we are not supposed to have learned anything at all about who we are to believe or follow? And Cheney dares show his face!
The voters are not the only “low information” ones around.
Bill,
Maybe the people wouldn’t be poorly informed if the MSM wasn’t.
But, one doesn’t want to see what one is paid not to see.
And, I’d like to think I’d turn down a high 6 figure, low 7 figure salary, if I were in their place.
But, that’s tough to do.
I’d like to think I would. Lord knows that I, as a management level person, created enough problems for management over the years, which may explain my current problems…
Republicans have their dog-whistles and they’ve been using them for years.
What we need is for the people on our side, not only to be more effective ‘code-talkers,’ but better at messaging overall.
Democrats can’t message for shit. Sorry…
“Scott Walker. Aside from him being a Repug there was no real indications that he would flip out like Mr. Hyde and go on a union/ labor/wage destroying crusade.”
In our times, they are all Cylons hell-bent on destroying humanity. I was shocked when Crist lost FLA; a known quantity vs an already-revealed crook.
I was shocked when Crist lost FLA;
Funny that you should mention Crist..I was downtown St.Pete today and saw Crist standing at the roadside waving at passing motorists. He was dressed up like Abraham Lincoln and holding a sign that read.. INJURED IN A MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT? Call Morgan & Morgan..“For the people”
What a fall from grace!
Lofgren is a RINO at best and tribal liberals shouldn’t be so pleased with themselves over his piece. There are lots of good facts in the article, but precious little good conclusions. I have a couple of de-bunking post at my blog, Norwegian Shooter. Nothing to do with the terrorist, I had the name first.
Mark — I read your “rebuttal” and found it superficial and, well, stupid. For example, you didn’t come anywhere close to refuting the claim that “A million dollars appropriated for highway construction would create two to three times as many jobs as a million dollars appropriated for Pentagon weapons procurement.” You say that building highways is less labor intensive than building military planes based on observations made while driving by construction sites. I strongly suspect construction of big-ticker military items employs far fewer people per dollar invested than highways, and you haven’t provided any data to tell me otherwise.
However, I’m having a really busy weekend and lack the time to write a proper takedown. Perhaps someone else will do it.